Two men came to Imam Ja’fer As-Sadiq (pbuh) and said that
they would like to do Tawba (ask for forgiveness and put right)
for their sins.
The first man said that he had done a lot of small sins whilst
the second said that he had committed two big sins.
Imam told the first man to pick one small pebble for each
small sin that he had committed.
He told the second man to bring a large boulder for each of
his big sins.
After a while both men came back to Imam having brought
what they were asked to bring.
Imam now asked both of them to put back every stone in it’s
place.
The man with the two large boulders found it difficult to carry
them back in their original place but eventually he managed.
The man with the many small pebbles could not remember
where he had picked all of them so he could not put them all
back in their original place.
It is very difficult to do Tawba for the sins which seem small
because we forget and take them for granted.
Imam Ali (pbuh) has said:
“The biggest sin is that which the doer considers the
smallest.”
Excellent Stories Vol 1